Feeding mechanism for sewing machines



May 22'-, 1934. Y, )Q COOPER n AL 1,959,707

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed July 9. 1951 5 sheets-sheep' 1 f muilll/l/lll/l/" May 22, 1934.

G. C. cooPER x-:r AL'- l 1,959,707 FEEDING MECHANISM Fon SEWING nadamas Filed VJuly' 9, 1931 .5 j'sneets-sheet 2 EJ Hum mlmii l E* lh h mmv l J l Snuentors W @aan attorneys May 22,1934.' G. C. cooPER ET AL 1,959,707

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed-July 9. 1931 5 sheets-sheet s 'May 22, 1934. Q C, CQPER Er v '1,959; 7o7

FEEDING raEc'HNIsMoRjsI-MING uAcHINEs Filed July 9, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 f Huw#- Zmnentor' u MM.

May 22,1934. l G. @.COQPER mL] 1,959,707

FEEDING MECHANISM FO SEWING MACHINESA Filed July" 9, 1931 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented muy 22, 1934* UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE FEEDING MECHANISM FOB SEWING MACHINES Grover C. Cooper" and Joseph Mann, Philadelphia,

Pa., assignors to Union lSpecial Machine .Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois A further object of the invention is to pro` vide a machine of the abovetype wherein the feed roller is located directly in rear of the needle and operates upon the material :for feed' ing the same after the sections thereof are stitched together, and wherein a presser :foot

lightly bearing on the material in the region of mstitching, holds the material in contact with the work support during the entire stitch cycle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a feeding mechanism of the above type wherein the actuating shaft is intermittently operated and" prevented from retrograde movement by coiled spring clutch members.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

3@ In the drawings which show by way of illus' tration one embodiment of the invention- Figure l is a iront view of a machine embodying the improvements;

Fig. 2 is an end view +-.ereof partly in section and showing the feed roller operating connection;

Fig. 3 is a View from the rear of the machine with certain parts sectioned;

Fig. l is a vertical sectional View transversely of the line of feed, and showing the mounting for the feedrollers;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in plan and partly in section showing the relation of the feed rolle to the stitching mechanism; v

` Fig. 6 is a view partly in .side elevation and.

partly in section showing the intermittent operating' mechanism for the actuating'shaft;

Flg.7 is a sectional View on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, showing the clutching member;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9--9 of Fig. '1,

and

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of the fabric sections to the feed l an upper rollers in the joining of a waist band to a body fabric.

The invention is directed broadly to a mechanism for a sewing machine which includes intermittently rotated feed roller Gd located directly in rear ofl the needle, and 'a lower freely rotating feed roller cooperating therewith. The upper feed .roller is mounted on a supporting presser bar which is yielding urged toward the work support. A presser foot to lightly bears on the material in iront of the reed rollers and holds the material pressed against the work `support during the entirestitch cycle. rl'he feed roller is actuated .by an operating shaft mounted in fixed bearings above the worlr supi@- port, and connected to the feed roller by a dei:ma ible connection which permits the i'eed roller to freely move up and down. The operating shaft is intermittently actuated by a clutch mechanism which includes two coiled spring it clutch members, one of which positively imparts a step by step turning motion to said shaft, while the other prevents retrograde motion ln the shaft. This clutch mechanism is operated from the main shaft and imparts through the` 8d feed roller, feedingv movements to the fabric sections.

' The invention will be better understood `by a detail description of the present illustrated embodiment of the invention. The machine ined cludes a work support l to which is attached a throat plate 2. Mounted on an overhangmg arm 3 is a needle head Il. The present machine is constructed for reciprocating the needle and for vibrating the same laterally soas to make 9o zigzag stitches. The needle indicated at 5' is carried by a needle bar 6 which is mounted for reciprocation in a gate 7. The needle bar is is in turn oscillated by a vibratingsegment l0 cooperating with an eccentric on a stubA shaft which is turned by a. gear 11. The gear 11 meshes with a gear 12 on the main actuating shaft 13. v

` Cooperating with the needle beneath the work support is a looper.14 which isfoscillated and given a needle avoiding movement, and which cooperates with the needle at each stitch formation. The parts above described are of the 105, ordinary construction, and further detail description of the stitching mechanism is not thought necessary. It will be understood that llfromcertain aspects of the invention, the needle bar may be reciprocated in a xed line, and a 110 feeding mechanism and its disposition relative' to the needle. The material is held on the work support by a presser foot 15. Located beneath the -work support is a freely rotating feed roller 16. Said feed roller is carried by a shaft 17 which is mounted for free rotation in a bracket 18 attached to the under side of the work support. The work support is provided with an opening 19` and the feed roller 16 projects through said opening so as to support the material. Cooperating with this feed roller 16 is an upper feed roller 20. The upper feed roller 20 is intermittently rotated. Both"` of the feed rollers are provided with serrated faces which engage the fabric. The feed roller 20 is formed as a part of a sleeve 21. 'I'he roller is mounted for rotation on a bearing 22. 'I'his bearing 22 is fixed to the lower end of the presser vbar 23 which is mounted in suitable bearings in the head at the end of the overhanging arm. A

leaf spring` 24 bears on a lug 25 attached to the presser bar and normally tends to force the presser bar yieldingly in a downward direction holding the upper feed roller in contact with the material and gripping the material between the feed rollers. The presser bar may be raised by a lever 26 in the usual manner. It will be noted that the feed rollers 16 and 20 are positioned in rear of the needle, and they, therefore, operate on the fabric sections after they are stitched together'.

'I'he machine is particularly adapted for the stitching of waist .c bands of body fabrics. In Fig. 10 of the drawings, there is shown diagrammatically a waist band being attached to a body fabric. The body fabric is indicated at B. 'I'he waist band consists of a pants curtain or facing strip F and a stiffening buckram strip C. 'I'he pants curtain and stiffening strip are shown as stitched together by a line of stitching s. This, however, is not essential. The pants curtain has the edge portion thereof infolded asindicatedat f. As indicated in this figure, the needle passes through the fabric sections at the line a, a., on one reciprocation, and through the fabric at the line b, b, on the next reciprocation. 'Ihis lays the needle thread across the folded edge of the pantsv curtain and produces a stitching which resembles whip stitching. The needle passes through the body fabric and the stiifening strip at both reciprocations. The feed rollers indicated diagrammatically at 16 and 20 in this figure, are so disposedv as to engage the fabric sections and firmly grip and feed the same. The upper feed roller is the one that is positively rotated, and this feed roller engages the pants curtain whichl is cut on the bias in order to have the proper shaping when used for a waist band for trousers, and which is always a very thin material. The feed roller not only engages directly the pants curtain, but lit engages the material -after the parts are stitched together. There is no other feed in the machine than the two feed rollers. This insures the feeding of the pants curtain as well as the heavy body -fabric and buckram strip smoothly without wrinkling or in any way drawing the materials. The presser foot 15 is pivoted to an arm 27 which in turn is pivoted at 28 to a bracket29. 'I'he bracket 29 is fixed to the head of the machine by a screw 30. A spring 31 is coiled about a screw stud 32 threaded into the bracket and is anchored to the bracket. 'Ihis spring 31 rests in a guide channel in the screw stud 33 and has the end thereof bent laterally at 34 so as to bear on the pressercfoot. 'I'his spring is very light and is the only means for yieldingly pressing the foot against the material, and therefore, the material is not clamped firmly against the work support, but is rather held lightly by this presser footwhich serves to strip the fabric from the needle on the upstroke of the needle. It is noted that the presser foot is not carried by the presser bar, as is usual in a sewing machine. The upper feed roller only is carried by the presser bar and serves the combined function of rmlyV gripping the fabric and pressing the same against thel lower feed roller and of imparting feeding movements to the fabric when the upper feed roller` is rotated.

The feed roller 20 has intermittent rotations imparted thereto by means of a flexible shaft 35 which is attached to an actuating shaft 36 mounted in a bracket 37 attached to the upper face of the work support- 1.

Theiiexible connection between the actuating'.

ber which includes a central sleeve 40, a forked member 40i secured thereto by a suitable set screw, and a forked Vmember 40b having a sliding telescoping engagement with 'the sleeve. The member 40a is connected to the member 39 by the usual universal joint connection. The member 4()b is also connected to the member 38 by the usual universal joint connection. 4This intermediate member transmits the movements of the actuating shaft to the feed roller, and at the same time, permits the feed roller to freely move up and down due to cross seams or increased thickness in fabric sections.

The actuating shaft receives its movements from the main actuating shaft 13 through a train of devices which include an adjustable crank 42 on the end of theI main actuating shaft, a rocker 43 which is oscillated from this crank, and a clutch mechanism to be described. The crank 42 is connected by a link to an arm 45 which is fixed to the rocker 43. The rocker 43 is fixed to a shaft 46 journaled` in bearings in the bed of the machine, and xed to this shaft 46 is the upstanding arm 47. A link 48 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the arm 47 and its connection to the arm may be shifted. This link 48 at its other end is pivoted at 49 to an arm 50 attached to a collar 51 which is freely mounted on the actuating shaft 36. Mounted on the shaft 36 is a sleeve 52 which is secured to the shaft by a set screw 53. sleeve has reduced portions at each side of a central .collar portion. A spring 54 is tightly wound around the sleeve 52 at one side ofL the central collar portion, and one endof this spring is secured to the collar 51. free, but is tending at all times to frictionally grip the sleeve 52. Also mounted on the sleeve- The other end of the spring is turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 6 and 8, it will tend to wind the spring 54 tighter, and cause said spring to grip the sleeve 52 and turn the sleeve and shaft 36. At'this time, the spring 55 is'loosened so as to release its grip on the collar 52 and thus the shaft 36 is free to turn. When the arm is turned in a counter clockwise direction, this tends to unwind the spring 54, thus releasing its grip on the collar 52 so that the spring may be moved to a new gripping position, and at this time, the

spring grips the sleeve 52 and' preventsv counter clockwise motion in vsaid sleeve. Thus it is apparent -that the spring 54 vbecomes .the operating clutch for intermittently rotating the shaft 36, while the spring 55 becomes the 'clutch lfor intermittently gripping the shaft and preventing retrograde movement thereof when the spring 54 is returning for its new gripping connection. From the above itA will be noted that when the arm 50 is turned togive a feeding motion to the shaft, said shaft will be at once gripped and turned; and likewise when the arm is moved in the opposite direction to position the same for its' next feedingvmovement the spring will at once grip the shaft and-'prevent any retrograde movement. It is this immediate gripping of the shaft by the springs that takes out all lost motion and insures al uniform feedlength. When the fabric is carried forward by the turning of the feed roller and the feed roller stops, it will hold the fabric positively in its new set position for the needle to enter.

The operation of the feeding mechanism is thought to be clear from the detaildescription which has been given above. At each stitch cycle, the rocker is oscillated and imparts through the spring clutch a set rotation to the actuating shaftvwhich in turn imparts a set rotation to the upper feed roller. This movement of the upper feed roller' is timed so as to take place when the needle is above the material, and preferably on 'its downward movement, sothat the stitches have been formed and set, joining the'fabric sections, and the joined fabric sections are pulled upon by the gripping feed rollers and fed so as to position the same for the next needle penetration.

It is obvious that modifications may be made in the details of the mechanism shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention -as set forth in the appended claims. Y

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. In a sewing machine, a work support, stitch forming mechanism including a needle, a feeding mechanism including a feed roller located above the work support and in rear of the needle, means for supporting said feed roller for vertical movement while maintaining the axis thereof horizontal, a freely rotating feed roller mounted beneath the work support and projectgripping the shaft immediately upon the turning of the collar in the opposite direction for preventing retrograde movement of said shaft.

2. In a' sewing machine, a work support, stitch forming mechanism including a needle, a feeding mechanism including afeed roller located above the Work support and in rear of the needle, a freely rotating feed roller mounted beneath the work support and projecting through the opening therein and cooperating with said feed roller above the work support,

-a shaft mounted in fixed bearings labove the work support, a flexible connection between said shaft and said feed roller above the work support, 'a collar mounted on said shaft for free movement thereon,v means for oscillating said collar, a spring connected to the collar and wound tightly about said shaft so as to grip the shaft for turning the same when the collar is oscillated in one direction, a second collar mounted on said shaft and held in a fixed position, and a spring-attached to said second collar and -wound tightly about said shaft so as to grip said shaft to prevent the retrograde movement of the shaft.

'sof

3. In a ,sewing machine, a work support,

ythe work support, a flexible means connecting the shaft to the feed roller whereby it is rotated and permitted to move vertically, a collar on said shaft, means for oscillating the collar, a spring attached to the collar and tightly wound about said shaft whereby when said collar is oscillated in one direction the spring will grip the shaft and turn the same, and when oscillated in the opposite direction it will be freed from the shaft, and means forgripping said .shaft immediately upon the spring releasing the same for preventing retrograde movement of the shaft. L

4. In. a sewing machine, a work support, stitch forming mechanism including a needle, a holding foot yieldingly and continuously pressing on rthe material and having an opening therethrough for`the needle, a feeding mechanism including a feed roller located above the work support and in rear of the holding foot, means for supporting a presser bar on which said feed roller is mounted, means for yieldingly depressing said bar, a shaft mounted in fixed bearings above the work support, a flexible means connecting the shaft to the feed roller whereby it is rotated and permitted to move vertically, a collar on said shaft, means for oscillating the collar, a spring attached to the collar and tightly wound about said shaft whereby when said collar is oscillated in one direction the spring will grip the shaft and turn the same, and when oscillated in the opposite direction it will be freed from the shaft, a second collar freely mounted on said shaft and fixed against movement, and a spring attached to said second collar and tightly wound about said shaft so as to grip the shaft and prevent retrograde movement thereof. I

. 5. In a sewing "machine, a work support, stitch forming mechanism including a needle, a holding foot yieldingly andcontinuously pressing on the material and having an opening therethrough for the needle, a feeding mechanism including a feed roller located above the work vsupport and in rear of the holding foot, means for supporting a presser bar on which said feed roller is mounted. means for yieldingly depressing said bar, a yoke bracket fixed to the machine, a shaft mounted in said bracket, a collar freely mounted on said shaft and attached to one arm of the yoke bracket, a collar freely mounted on said shaft adjacent the other arm of the yoke.

bracket; means for oscillating said last-'named collar, a spring secured to the last-named collar and tightly wound about said shaft so as to the springs for same when the collar is oscillated in one direction and for releasing the shaft when'the collar is oscillated in the other direction, a second collar freely mounted on said shaft and fixed against movement, and a spring' attached to said last-named collar and tightly wound about said shaft for gripping the same and preventing retrograde movement therein.

7. A feeding mechanism for sewing machines including a feed roller; a shaft connected to said feed roller, a collar freely mounted on said shaft, -means for oscillating the collar, a spring attached to the collar and tightly wound about said shaft for gripping said-shaft to move the same when the collar is oscillated in one direction and for releasingthe. shaft when the collar l is oscillated in the other direction,J a second collar freely mounted on'said' shaft and xed against movement, a spring attached to said last-named collar and tightly wound about said shaft for gripping the same and preventing retrograde movement therein, and a third collar fixed to the shaft and disposed between said springs' for preventing endwise movement of the-shaft. i

, GRCVERC. COOPER.

JOSEPH MANN. 

